I am quite happy with where I am right now on the server, although whether you'd consider me "successful" or not is mostly a matter of opinion. I hold a supervisor rank within the PD, which is my main activity, I have a small (8 members or so) but very active ORG with my friends, I have met wonderful people who I love to play with, I have a 3+ million dollar car which I love and I don't feel the need to replace, and I have 1 million dollars in the bank for everyday use. Sure, I bet you can find people out there with a higher rank in PD, more money, and a larger ORG, but I am honestly very happy with how things are for me right now.
If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to just make sure you find whatever it is you do enjoyable, and remember it's a social server, meant to be enjoyed with friends and to allow you to meet new amazing people. When you get shot, lose valuables, or get insulted to death by toxic users and such, it always helps to have people by your side, since defeats are much more bearable with people you care about close by, and it also helps you remember how it's just a videogame at the end of the day, and the truly important thing is the connections you have made OOC. I bet there are people out there who have tens of millions more than I do, but still find the server to be a boring, lonely experience. I think your focus should be placed on having fun, and if you do so, money will roll on its own.
Also, cocaine is pretty good.